A pet owner has taken to social media to urge people not to let their dogs play with plastic water bottles after one became fully stuck on her panicked pooch's jaw.
Posting shocking photos of the incident on Facebook, Boh Earnshaw, 20, revealed she woke up one morning to find her 11-month-old schnoodle Bodhi "really upset" as his mouth was stuck inside the neck of a plastic bottle.
While Bodhi hadn't been given the bottle to play with by his owners, the pup had managed to pinch one himself overnight. His owners aren't sure how long the bottle had been stuck on his mouth, but they believe it could have been up to two hours.
Boh's post, shared at the weekend, read: "Only posting this because I know a lot of people give bottles to their dogs to play with as they love them!
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"This morning I came downstairs and my dog had found a plastic water bottle (we didn't give it to him) and he had it stuck around his jaw. It was completely STUCK and I couldn't cut it or anything!
"He was getting really upset and throwing himself all over the place and hitting it on things trying to get it off."
Boh immediately took her poodle and schnauzer mix to the vets, who had to sedate a distressed Bodhi so they could saw the bottle off his swollen jaw.
Luckily, there was no lasting damage from the accident, but Bodhi is now urging other dog owners not to let their pets play with plastic bottles for fear of something like this happening again.
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"He was in a lot of pain but thank god it didn't do any damage," the marketing executive from Essex said, before concluding: "Please please don't give bottles to your dogs to play with incase they do end up really hurting themselves."
Boh told Pretty52 that she "really panicked" when she saw Bodhi with the bottle on his mouth, and immediately called for help from her sister.
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"The vets were amazing and took him into the room straight away as we walked in even though I didn't call them beforehand," she added. "We have his brother and sister too and none of them ever get to play with bottles mostly because they just swallow all the plastic."
Boh says all owners should be aware of the risks of letting their pets play with plastic bottles to keep them safe.
"It's up to the other owners if they give their dogs bottles but they should always know the risks and make sure they are supervised," she said.
The RSPCA also advises pet owners to be cautious with plastic bottles. "Some dogs really enjoy playing with plastic bottles because they squash and make noise and some toys are designed around plastic bottles," RSPCA dog welfare expert Dr Samantha Gaines told us.
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"If owners are using plastic bottles as toys or feeding devices then it's really important that any loose bits of plastic, like the lid, are removed and that the dog is always supervised when playing with them. We'd also advise replacing them regularly to avoid any sharp or broken bits injuring them.
"Where possible, it's always best to buy specialist pet-safe toys for your dog to enjoy."
We're so glad Bodhi is on the mend, and hope other owners will follow in Boh's footsteps to keep plastic bottles away from their dogs, too.
Featured Image Credit: Boh Earnshaw